‘Free Solo’ Takes Documentary Feature Prize at 91st Academy Awards

February 26, 2019

The Oscar for Best Documentary Feature this year went to National Geographic and Greenwich Entertainment’s Free Solo, a breathtaking account of climber Alex Honnold’s journey to the top of Yosemite’s El Capitan, without ropes or safety equipment. Honnold is the first climber to successfully free solo El Capitan, and the doc that followed him made its own history—directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin are the first married couple of Asian descent to be nominated for an Oscar together.

Free Solo led the pack of nominees in its category in terms of box office, taking in $16 million since its September release. 2018 was a banner year for documentaries, with several titles grabbing zeitgeist attention and putting up strong theatrical numbers in a time when more docs than ever seem to head directly for streaming services.